


Take a Chance on Me

by mizface



Category: due South
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-28
Updated: 2013-03-28
Packaged: 2017-12-06 17:44:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/738376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mizface/pseuds/mizface
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By the time Ray heard “You’re in the mood for a dance,” he’d had had all he could take.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take a Chance on Me

**Author's Note:**

> Written for 2009's ds_con_envy for capt_spork. Prompt: nobody wants to hear ABBA at three in the morning
> 
> Warnings for gratuitous use of ABBA lyrics. And yes, I do have the CD in question. Huge thanks to China_shop for giving great beta!

Ray wasn’t supposed to be working a late shift that night, but one of the graveyard shifters had eaten some bad shrimp or something and so Welsh had called him back in, never mind he’d just finished his shift, never mind he was due a day off, never mind that he and Fraser had just closed a major case and he could really use the down time.

“I’m sure you’ll find some way to manage, detective,” was all Welsh said, in his ‘Do I make myself clear?’ tone loaded with a pretty impressive mix of apathy and sarcasm.

So Ray managed. But it meant he was at the station at ungodly-in–the-morning, and no amount of coffee or sugar was gonna fix his mood. He was tired, he was pissed off, and he was partnerless, since there was no way he was going to try to make Fraser come in too. That went above and beyond the call of liaising. And that just pissed Ray right the hell off too, because no Fraser meant no one to make horrible jokes with, no one to try and shock and have fun with, no one to share in his misery.

So yeah, it basically sucked. Which was why, when Huey brought in a guy that was at least five sheets to the wind, Ray had kind of went off on him. Of course, the fact that the guy was singing ABBA, and badly at that, didn’t help his cause. And for who knows what reason, Huey wasn’t even trying to stop it. 

By the time Ray heard “You’re in the mood for a dance,” he’d had had all he could take. He got up, stalked over and leaned right into the drunken man’s face. “You get _no_ chance, dancing queen – one more note out of you and you’re gonna voulez vous yourself into your own personal Waterloo, got it? _Nobody_ wants to hear ABBA at three in the morning.”

It worked. Drunk or not, the guy could tell Ray was serious. He shut right up, still bleary-eyed and unsteady but with just enough fear in his eyes to make Ray happy. The rest of the shift was wonderfully uneventful, and Ray filed the event away in his mind as done and over with before he’d even left the building.

Ray slept through the bulk of his day off, and came in for his shift rested and ready to work. He was in a pretty good mood. Thatcher had decided that Fraser had done his penance for making the streets of Chicago safer, so Ray picked him and Dief up on the way to the 2-7. He bitched to Fraser about the extra shift, but not so much so that Fraser would feel guilty for not being there. They were still discussing it when they entered the station.

“I would have come in if you’d asked, you know,” Fraser said.

“Yeah, but no sense in both of us losing sleep,” Ray replied. “Besides, the Ice Queen was already ticked – you think she would have let you out of your day shift yesterday for it?”

Fraser acknowledged that with a nod. “Probably not.”

Ray shook his head. “No probably. She would’ve made you work, you know it and I know it. It was a breeze, Fraser. Nothing happened…” Ray’s voice trailed off and he stopped suddenly, nearly causing Fraser to bump into him. He looked past Ray to see what has caught his partner’s attention. The room went suspiciously quiet.

“Oh my.” Ray’s desk was covered in brightly-colored post-it notes. Fraser walked over and picked out one at random. He raised an eyebrow as he read it aloud.

“Mamma mia, here I go again, my, my, how can I resist you?”

Fraser frowned at the paper for a moment in puzzlement, then picked up another.

“Waterloo - Finally facing my Waterloo.”

Ray stopped him before he picked up a third, grabbing the two from Fraser’s hand and crumpling them together. He snatched up more from his desk, wadding them into a ball and tossing them into his trash can. He glared around the room – everyone was suddenly looking away, but he could hear a few snickers.

“You were saying nothing happened, Ray,” Fraser asked blandly. Ray would have bought the whole ‘I don’t see anything going on' thing if it weren’t for the twinkle in Fraser’s eyes.

Ray waved a hand dismissively. “Just some stupid joke, Fraser. Some people have nothing but time on their hands. Come on, let’s see what Welsh has for us.”

“But Ray -” Fraser began, only to be cut off by a gesture from Ray.

“Later.” Ray’s voice was firm.

“Understood.”

The Lieutenant had several somethings to impart, and Ray was glad that the state of his desk wasn’t one of them. Work kept them out of the station for the bulk of the day, and much to Ray’s relief, when they did return his desk was post-it free. The only addition was a small box the size of a CD. Ray tossed it aside as he sat down, and Fraser reached over to pick it up.

“Aren’t you going to open this, Ray?”

Ray snatched it from him and tore it open, not at all surprised to find a CD of ABBA’s greatest hits. He rolled his eyes and handed it back to Fraser, then stood up to address the room.

“Okay, har de har har, you all got your jollies. Can we maybe get back to some police work now? Pick on Ray Day is officially over.” The silence in the room got a little uncomfortable, and Ray sat down, satisfied. He gestured to Fraser to hand over notes they’d taken that day, and they got back to business.

They were in the GTO when Fraser brought the subject of the CD back up. Ray grimaced, but gave the promised explanation to his friend, briefly recapping the events.

“Ah. Because you used quotes in your admonishment of the gentleman, it was decided that you’re a fan of this group.”

Ray sighed and nodded as he stopped the car in front of the Consulate. “Which I am, actually. Their stuff is good and all, don’t get me wrong. It just isn’t the coolest music to admit liking. Which is why everybody thought it was so funny to rub it in.”

“I never realized you cared that much about what others think.”

“I do and I don’t. You know me, I’m not real big on taking flak from people. But I guess I do get them needing to let off some steam.”

“The teasing did seem to be good-natured.”

“Yeah, I guess it was.” He rubbed a hand through his hair, then gestured to the CD on the seat between them. “You like their stuff?”

“I don’t know their music well enough to say, Ray.”

“Well then you can have the CD.” Ray pointedly did not look at Fraser, but he was smiling. “I already have a copy.”

Fraser smiled too, and nodded. “All right, then. Thank you kindly.” He picked up the CD and turned it over, looking at the song titles. “Are there any that are your particular favorites?”

Ray held out his hand, and Fraser gave him the CD. He gave it a cursory glance before handing it back. “Tracks 3, 14 and 19, I guess. I can’t get 3 out of my head for days if I hear it.” The two sat in silence for a minute, then Dief made a small chuffing noise which seemed to motivate Fraser into moving. 

“Guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Frase. Pick you and the mutt up around nine, if that’s okay??

Fraser leaned back into the car and nodded. “That should be fine, Ray. And thank you again for this,” he went on, holding the CD out.

Ray watched Fraser and Dief go into the Consulate, waving at them as they entered the building. He reached for the radio knob, then sighed as he realized what he really wanted to hear was at home. He hadn’t even heard the song, but “Take a Chance on Me” was stuck in his head anyhow.

The next morning, it was business as usual again. Except, it really kind of wasn’t. Fraser was unusually quiet, and Ray caught Fraser looking at him at odd moments, a speculative look on his face that made Ray wonder just what he was doing that was puzzling his friend so much. He really had no idea, and Fraser didn’t seem to be in the mood to explain. Still, it was a productive day, so Ray really couldn’t complain, even though the extra attention was a little unnerving.

They wrapped things up over sandwiches they’d picked up on the way back to the station, and then Ray took Fraser and Dief to the Consulate, just like he had the previous night. He’d thought about asking Fraser if he wanted to see if there was a game on the tube, but really, it was kind of nice to go home alone, and not feel like he was on display. Ray wondered if that’s how Fraser felt most of the time, and if so, how the hell he stood it.

Once he got home, however, he couldn’t get settled. There had obviously been something on Fraser’s mind, and the fact that Ray couldn’t figure out what it was was making him nuts. He thought about calling, or maybe even driving back to the Consulate, but that seemed really stupid, since he really only had an odd gut feeling to go on. Still, he was considering the idea again when he was startled out of his indecision by a knock at the door.

Ray opened it to find Fraser standing there in his civvies, Stetson in hand, and that unsettling look on his face.

“Fraser, don’t take this wrong, but what are you doing here?”

“I… well, I wanted to ask you something, Ray. May I come in?”

Ray stepped aside. “What, the Consulate phone on the fritz?” he asked as Fraser passed him to enter the apartment.

“No. This just seemed a question better asked in person.”

“Okay.” Ray shrugged, confused. “This have anything to do with why you were acting kind of funny today?” At Fraser’s surprised look, Ray tapped on the badge still clipped to his belt. “Trained to notice that kind of thing, remember?” He smiled. “Besides, I know you pretty well. Makes sense I’d notice if something was off.”

Fraser smiled and nodded at that. “I suppose you do, Ray. You know me better than, well, than anyone, actually.”

“Goes both ways, buddy. So, what is it you needed to know?”

Fraser hesitated, watching his hat as he shifted it in his hands. “It’s about the CD,” he finally replied, looking up.

“The ABBA CD? That’s what had you watching me all day? What, you listen to it and have trouble seeing me enjoying that stuff?”

“It isn’t that, although now that you mention it, it is a departure from the usual music you listen to, at least what I’ve heard.” Fraser shook his head. “But that wasn’t it. I was wondering about the songs you said were favorites.”

He stopped there, and Ray waited, then gestured for him to go on.

“Well, it’s just… were you trying to tell me something, Ray?”

Okay, that was unexpected. “Tell you something?”

“Normally I wouldn’t have wondered,” Fraser went on, “ but it just seemed that perhaps there was a message behind your song choices.”

Ray looked out the window and thought back on the tracks he’d picked: “Take a Chance on Me,” “Gimme Gimme Gimme (a Man after Midnight),” and “Waterloo” and blushed. He could see Fraser’s point – that was a pretty suggestive trio of songs right there. And while he hadn’t really consciously meant anything by choosing them, that didn’t mean his subconscious hadn’t been playing games. He’d been hiding his feelings for Fraser forever.

Ray started to stammer out a reply to try to cover, but when he looked back to face Fraser he stopped. It was obvious that the Mountie mask was firmly in place.

“Never mind, Ray,” Fraser said, a little too heartily. “I can see I’ve misinterpreted the situation. I’m sorry to have interrupted your evening.” He put his hat on and started toward the door.

Ray stood there a second as it all really sank in – what he’d chosen, what Fraser had thought, and the fact that Fraser had come all the way over to ask. Which meant Fraser had maybe hoped Ray _had_ meant something.

He moved quickly then. He put a hand on Fraser’s arm to stop him before he could open the door and escape. Fraser stopped at his touch, but didn’t turn around.

“Fraser, wait. I’ve got a question for you now.” Ray hesitated, then asked softly, “What was your favorite track?”

Fraser turned around to face Ray before answering. “Number 4 – “Lay All Your Love on Me.”"

Ray nodded. “That one’s got some great lyrics. Something about don’t throw away your feelings, give them to me, right?”

Fraser swallowed and he watched Ray’s mouth for a moment before answering. “I think the line you mean is ‘Don’t go wasting your emotion, lay all your love on me.’” 

Ray nodded and moved closer. “Yeah, that’s it. Great choice.”

“You think so?” Fraser responded as he too inched forward.

Ray started to answer, but then Fraser’s mouth was on his, and swallowed any reply he might have made. And as he pulled Fraser to him, a stray lyric ran through his thoughts.

Thank you for the music.


End file.
